I ordered tickets for a concert by Earth, Wind, and Fire this summer. I was offered through the band's myspace page a premium ticket package that included a photo op with the band before the show, seating in the first ten rows, and backstage passes. It was $500.00 for two tickets. I purchased the package as I grew up listening to this band and thought it was a good deal.
After I ordered the package I received an email saying the photo op wasn't going to happen because of a scheduling conflict. I was told that I could receive just tickets only at face value ($65.00 a piece) and keep the same seats or downgrade to a four-star package and receive a free gift. The four-star package was $250.00.
This didn't sound as exciting to me so I wrote them back saying I would take just the tickets only.
They wrote me back asking if I got their follow-up email that said if I selected the four-star package I would get backstage passes for after the show. I had never been backstage at a concert and thought it would be cool to see all the work and effort that went into something like that, I'm a bit geeky that way. I wrote them back saying that if that was the case the four-star package would be fine.
They wrote me back saying I could pick up everything at the will call window, and that they had processed the credit for $250.00. I checked with American Express and saw that they had. So far, so good.
I went to the will call window the night of the show and picked up the package. There were no backstage passes in it. The free gifts were stupid key chains with the EWF and "I Love All Access" logos on them - marketing materials for them, in short. I asked the event staff about the backstage passes, no one seemed to know. I decided to go ahead and enjoy the show, and follow up with "I Love All Access" afterwards, sure that they would work things out and make it right.
I emailed them a few days after the show. It took them about 7 days to respond. When they did they said that I got to keep my seats in the first ten rows and I got the stupid keychain, and that was what was in the four-star package. They said I should have called them the night of the show.
Nevermind the fact that they said I would keep my seats in the first ten rows even if I selected tickets-only like I had wanted to at first when the band changed schedules. Nevermind the fact that they didn't provide any emergency contact numbers until after the show was over. This is just bad treatment. Two keychains are NOT worth $120.00.
I immediately put the balance of the charge in dispute with American Express. We are now fighting it out. I have no problems paying the face value of the tickets, but there's no way you can convince me that two keychains are worth $120.00.
If they hadn't said I would get backstage passes I would have selected tickets only and been done with it, and probably would have done business with them again. Now I'll never use them for anything.
I Love All Access is a deceitful company that cannot be trusted. I have a complete email trail that I'll be providing American Express. I'm not a big complainer - if you're fair with me I'm fair with you. I've maybe filed two disputes with American Express in my 8 years as a cardholder, and one of those disputes was to say that I had been given a credit that I wasn't due!
If you feel like wasting your money and patronizing a company that is greedy and doesn't respond to customer complaints with more than a brush-off, then iloveallaccess.com is for you. It's only $120.00, but I don't waste my money by giving it to slimey merchants.
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